Google lets AMP users view and share a publisher’s original link

Last year, Google launched its Accelerated Mobile Pages or AMP platform that offers optimized versions of publishers’ site to speed up web browsing on mobile devices. As AMP articles use less data, they can load quickly comparing to visiting other traditional websites. However, there was a problem. Where Google messed up with the system was, instead of one URL, there were basically three, including the original one, the AMP cache URL (which is invisible to the user), and the Google AMP viewer URL (the AMP URL you see in the search result).

What has created the misunderstanding that the AMP URL users view starts with “google.com/amp/” before the actual URL. Back in October, there was a claim from the publishers that Google was stealing traffic from the actual publishers, which wasn’t true. Albeit Google displays the AMP URL in the search results, the traffic remains the publishers’.

To make viewers understand where the article is actually from, Google pops up a header bar that shows the true origin of the page. But viewers don’t want to bookmark it as they usually see the address bar while sharing. Addressing that issue, Google now places a simple link button that shows the original URL. You can then share it by long-tapping on the link.

“URLs and origins represent, to some extent, trust and ownership of content. When you’re reading a New York Times article, a quick glimpse at the URL gives you a level of trust that what you’re reading represents the voice of the New York Times. Attribution, brand, and ownership are clear,” Google said in a blog post.

The feature is currently available on the iOS version of Google app. The Android version will roll out in the coming weeks.